Subaru Crew - Meet The Members II

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Comments

  • p0926p0926 Member Posts: 4,423
    Patti- We all understand the limits of what you can say. Frankly, considering the pervasive paranoia thru out the automotive industry, I'm amazed that SoA agreed to let you participate at all. Rest assured that we are grateful for any insights you can offer and consider you an invaluable addition to this forum.

    -Frank P.
  • bluesubiebluesubie Member Posts: 3,497
    My bus took this literally today.
    http://www.impreza-rs.com/NonCGI/Forum17/HTML/000586.html
    Dennis
  • vince14vince14 Member Posts: 55
    Hi yall,
    Has anyone had a Donnellye ECT mirror installed by a dealer? How much was the installation? I install things as well as I write...
    I'm wondering if a dealer is better doing this than a stereo installer (I don't really know if the ones near me are any good)

    Paisan- Thanks for the squeaky brake info,
    I had a problem with the brakes when I first took delivery and the dealer resurfaced the whatevers, I'm wondering if that contributed to early wear. I do have 27k on the car, but it really is 99% highway.

    Juice-thanks for the additional instructions on the mirror.
    Thanks
    VINCE14
  • miksmimiksmi Member Posts: 1,246
    Kate, great site! Thanks.

    Vince14, sorry you're having so much trouble getting good info on the Donnellye mirror. Pat Dubois (pdubois) (I think that's the spelling) of Canada installed one of these a looong time ago (in Internet time, that is) and posted some info in TH. (I realize your inquiry is related to dealer installation.) I've searched for it a couple of times but not had sufficient time to locate the info. I believe it's in one of the Legacy or Outback topics in the Station Wagons conference archive. IRC his post was in 2000. It occurred during the HUD discussion (if you recall that much history), which we decided would be difficult to read in daylight. Hope this helps. If you find it, please post the topic# and message# and I'll add a direct URL to my profile for posterity. Good hunting!

    ..Mike

    ..Mike

  • vince14vince14 Member Posts: 55
    Hi Mike,
    Oh, I remember that all to well. I invited Peter to come downstate to install it for me! It was, in fact, all that dialog is what led me to want this mirror.
    My Subie dealer wants to see the mirror and instructions to give me an idea of what it would cost to install, I was just hoping there was some precedence I could cite. Not that they would try to overcharge me....(wink,wink,nod,nod)
    Thanks for your help.
    Vince
  • originalbitmanoriginalbitman Member Posts: 920
    Here's the link to Ken's installation notes as posted on Juice's site:

    http://thejuiceman.homepage.com/mirror.htm



    bit
  • bat1161bat1161 Member Posts: 1,784
    I had the Subaru Auto-dimming mirror installed by the dealer for about $150. (That includes the cost of the mirror as well as installation.) One thing to find out ahead of time... is your OB pre-wired for the mirror. I say this because I found out the hard way that my 2000 OB was not wired. The dealer then had to separately order the wiring harness, so that it took a little longer to get the job done. I am very happy that I did get the mirror, as I feel it is very convenient. Hope all this helps.
    Mark
  • bg18947bg18947 Member Posts: 184
    It couldn't have happened to a nicer person.
    Why do people think that a signal light gives them a right-of-way? I see people pull the same stunt in front of big rigs on Route 17 in Jersey. I'm sure all that the driver sees is someone's hood in front of them. When you sit that high with a long nose on some of those tractor trailers, that's about the limit of your view. People in smaller cars use to cut in front of my Blazer, and when you're sitting higher, you do not see their signal lights, not that I would yield to them because of a signal.

    Ford is not doing so well in the press with all of the recent recalls. I always thought the Explorer was ugly. Why do they sell so well?
  • miksmimiksmi Member Posts: 1,246
    ROTFLMAO. Bravo! Please credit the source on your page. hehehe man I'm still wiping away the tears.

    ..Mike

  • vince14vince14 Member Posts: 55
    Bat1161- Wow! the MSRP for the Subie mirror is $165, not including installation!
    That's a super deal, I fear I won't be able to match it, but thanks for the info.
    Yes, my OB was manufacturered in 8/00, so it came without the wire harness installed.
    I think, for the Donnely mirror, that's actually a plus because the new harness needs to replace the factory harness.
    Wow, still can't get over that price. Is your dealer in SI? (I'm upstate NY, near Poughkeepsie, but just curious)
    Vince
  • kate5000kate5000 Member Posts: 1,271
    Images are big (80-100K), so they won't load fast...

    Forester's back
    Could've been worse but still pretty extensive damage. All in all, given the force and duration of the impact, Forester did pretty good.
    The rear tailgate sort of "folded" and saved rear panels from damage. Amazingly how rear window remained intact.

    Forester's front
    Not too bad, but bumper was punctured and will have to be replaced. Also, later a body shop measured alignment of the hood line, and it looks like the frame was slightly twisted and will have to be pulled and straighten out. This is probably result of the pressure applied when my Forester was sandwiched between car in front and truck behind.

    Ford pickup that rear-ended me. This "Ford built tough" thing did not suffer much damage. Note how far the tail lights of my Forester are spread on the road... That truck hit and pushed my poor soob pretty strongly.

    Car in front
    It did not claim any damage, but driver appeared to be a friend of the truck driver...

    Isn't it ironic: of all makes, the only one I really hate is Ford (after owning Ford Escort'84), and now my little Forester got squeezed between the Ford and the Mercury...
  • locke2clocke2c Member Posts: 5,038
    I get nothing but errors. How about hosting them on photopoint?

    -Colin
  • kate5000kate5000 Member Posts: 1,271
    apparently, homepage.com has some restrictions about serving images to other sites, so I wrapped the links into html page hosted on my site... please remember that images are made big on purpose, to give a better view of detail for insurance, but for modem users it will be a pain to load...

    Accident page
  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    The pickup appears to be a Bronco SUV. Another case of where bumper heights don't line up. If the Bronco's bumpers were lower, you bumpers (and not tailgate, etc.) would have taken the brunt of the crash.

    Bob
  • kate5000kate5000 Member Posts: 1,271
    I thought it's a pickup with a cover over the bed... Yes, that bumper height mismatch is always unfortunate for the lower vehicle. I wonder if there will be any law adopted eventually, to have the same height bumpers on all passenger vehicles and light trucks.
  • locke2clocke2c Member Posts: 5,038
    I wouldn't say "no" but it sounds pretty iffy. How do you get the front bumper of a Corvette to match up with the rear bumper of a F350 SuperDuty?

    Not to mention the nosedive a vehicle undergoes during braking is hardly comparable among vehicles...

    Nope, you just have to live with high repair costs.

    -Colin
  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    It's a little hard to tell, but it appears to be a Bronco. Whatever...

    Bob
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Yep it's definitely a bronco. (no rear window behind the 2 front seats) I love the color of your Forester, similar to my trooper. That boat in front of you looks like it's in nice condition for a ~70s vehicle.

    -mike
  • al2al2 Member Posts: 73
    Did you ever consider the idea that Ford Motors hired those guys to get you for badmouthing the Escape? Just a thought . . .

    Hope you and your daughter are now OK.

    Cheers, Al
  • al2al2 Member Posts: 73
    The TOP 10 stolen vehicles in Canada according to latest insurance industry report:

    1. Hyundai Tiburon FX
    2. Volkswagen Golf (2 dr.)
    3. Acura Integra (2 dr.)
    4. Jeep TJ (4WD)
    5. Hyundai Accent (2 dr.)
    6. Chevrolet Cavalier Z24
    7. Dodge Durango (4WD)
    8. Dodge Dakota (4WD)
    9. Toyota 4Runner (4WD)
    10. Dodge Ram 1500 (4WD)

    There is no explanation for this list such as ease of entry or ease of hotwiring. Anyway, Subaru models and Camry/Accord are not on the "most wanted" list.

    There is a web site at www.vicc.com
    It would be interesting to see how this compares to the U.S. hit list.

    Cheers, Al
  • kate5000kate5000 Member Posts: 1,271
    yes Al, that's right! Not only for badmouthing the Escape, Ford had a grudge on me since I wrote 'em a letter saying their Escort is POS!

    Well, since I have nothing to lose, here is another pearl (read post #234 on Escape/Tribute Problems thread for a full report):

    "Got delivery of my 200l Escape @8pm last nite. At 4 pm today had it towed to a dealer. The steering became stuck while turning..."

    But to be fair, Escape did get a place # 2 after Forester in my test drive at Edmunds Live. It's a nice size-to-power ratio vehicle, good conservative styling, but low on quality or so it seems.
  • e_l_greene_l_green Member Posts: 30
    Interesting list (Canadian Most Stolen list). Let me get this straight: Canadians are so polite that they will actually do you a favor by stealing your Hyundai?!

    -Eric
  • grahampetersgrahampeters Member Posts: 1,786
    Thanks for the profiles of Chat Users. My wife is fairly active on the net (hosting her own parenting magazine chloeandjack.com ) and we tend to get some of the wackier lines of correspondence from some of the chat things she gets involved in on parenting and such like.

    Every so often, you come to the conclusion that "There are an awful lot of Californians out there". She is now a connous

    She is convinced that the Edmunds correspondence is amongst the saner she has seen.


    Cheers

    Graham

    She is
  • c_hunterc_hunter Member Posts: 4,487
    Interesting. The newer gargantuan Ford SUVs (Expedition, Excursion) have a beam mounted below the front bumper that is supposed to prevent them from "climbing" over the top of smaller vehicles in a rear-end collision. This is important when you consider the huge amount of mauling power these brutes have. I believe the lower bumper beam would also prevent a certain degree of bumper-mismatch damage, but not all.

    Craig
  • alingaling Member Posts: 598
    The MB M-class not only has bumpers that match the height of most cars' bumpers (this is partly the reason for its minivan-ish rear end), but the MB engineers designed the vehicle frame with two levels so that in a collision with a car, the frame will not override the car's structure. The crumple zones have also been designed to absorb the impact forces so that less of it goes to the other vehicle's occupants (while still keeping the ML's occupants safe, of course).

    http://www.escribe.com/automotive/european/mbmc/m10397.html

    Drew/aling
    Townhall Community Leader/Vans Conference
  • francophilefrancophile Member Posts: 667
    At one time (1997 IIRC) California accounted for fully 65% of all Internet traffic. I doubt it's that high anymore but CA is still probably disproportionately represented in the 'net population. Graham, your wife is right!

    Cheers,
    -wdb
  • kate5000kate5000 Member Posts: 1,271
    Today my Forester got an estimate from my own (State Farm) insurance. The other guy's insurance decided they don't want to fly in their own adjuster, and made an agreement with SF to handle the claim further on.

    After pretty careful evaluation, the amount of damage is well over $5K. They said they fully expect the shop to call them and report some additional hidden damage when working on my Forester. The adjuster said it was spare tire that stopped the Ford from breaking in further. They said the impact was pretty strong, and they're amazed that back quarter panels seem to be OK. They also told us to watch for signs of head/neck problems in our daughter and ourselves.

    Now I have check in hand (written to the shop, so probably no way I can pull off that great juice's plan of ordering parts from Darlene). Shop however swears they use OEM parst for Soobs. Still will have to wait for my deductible to be reimbursed later.

    Life is slowly returning to normal. Somehow I managed to drive past 10 years in the congested Bay area w/o a single little fender-bender, so all this new experience threw me off quite a bit.

    Meantime, thank to Subaru for thoughtful placement of spare tire. Perhaps, it saved us from something much much worse.
  • texsubarutexsubaru Member Posts: 242
    Want to add my condolences on your crash (just now reading about it; been busy this week). I once had a much-beloved T-Bird that was totaled by a drunk sorority girl who rear-ended it rather dramatically at a stoplight. That episode ended with perhaps a wee bit more sense of closure since she ended up being hauled off by the cops in handcuffs (and, thankfully, she had insurance).
    Looking at the photos, I'd say the Forester got off a little better than I might have feared it would (although the Ford apparently got off in even better shape).
  • wmiller4wmiller4 Member Posts: 97
    I just have to complain a little. I emailed Darlene at QSubaru 2 months ago about cost of parts for changing out the "plood" dashboard on the Outback to the Legacy plain Jane black and have never heard back from her.

    I also contacted Patti twice about her offer to provide info on the Mac stereo in the VDC and have not received it. I did get two responses from her about getting it into the mail for me. I am glad that Patti participates on this board and I know people get busy but, what is up with that! Just do what you say you are going to do. I do not need the info that badly so, please do not bother, Patti. I also will not order from QSubaru for my "add-ons" when I do buy an Outback.

    Thanks for letting me rant. I still think this is a great group and this site IS THE place for Subaru information.
  • tlimatlima Member Posts: 124
    I too have outstanding email with Darlene for a few weeks. From reading this board, I know that she's been out sick for some time, so maybe she is simply backlogged or is having computer problems.

    I just changed my ISP two days ago, so I should send another email anyhow. Otherwise, falling back to analog (i.e., yikes the telephone!) may yield results.

    -Tony
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Juice: Thanks for the info about Carmax. Took my buddy and his T-bird down there last night and dumped it for $5K even, which was about $300-$400 less than the KBB Trade-in value. And about $1400 more than the dealer would have given him. We were in and out in 2hrs flat. Great people to deal with. This is the 3rd good story I've heard about em.

    -mike
  • subaru_teamsubaru_team Member Posts: 1,676
    I'm sorry I haven't provided it yet. I was told that I can't "copy" the material provided. I have summarized it as a separate document and I'm waiting on an "approval" to release it. Ugghhh! I thought it would be no big deal, but, because of minor changes from the original information provided, they want to be sure the information I provide you folks is the most current. The model I tested was a "pre-production". The Mac's in the mail? Well, it will be soon!
  • natescapenatescape Member Posts: 176
    Hi Kate. I just wanted to offer my sympathy for your accident. I really hope everyone is OK long-term. Our thoughts are with you.

    But, I was impressed with the pictures. I would have expected more damage. That pleases me, as I have two babies I cart around in my Forester with some frequency. How fast was everyone going during the accident?
  • bluesubiebluesubie Member Posts: 3,497
    Looks like the Forester protected you well. The Focus my bus hit last Friday fared much worse. What is it with Ford drivers?
    Dennis
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    William: all I can say is that is completely out of character for Darlene. She's given me nothing but the best service, often going the extra mile, and sponsored three local events of ours.

    Dana: Thursday is OK. Start this week?

    Kate: thanks for sharing photos. Since you'd expect the bumpers to match up if the Bronco were braking (front-end dive), my guess is he did indeed ram into you on purpose. Jerk.

    Also, if the spare moved, there may be more damage than meets the eye. Sounds like they'll fix it all, though. Insist on OEM parts - you can since yours is so new.

    Here's some thing to cheer you up, while we're at it. The wife saw her first in-person Aztec this weekend. Her comments had me rolling! A few things she noted:

    * what IS that?
    * is that a minivan?
    * it looks like it's already been in an accident!
    * that vehicle is handicapped
    * looks like it's wearing pumps, but only on one side

    The 3rd is my favorite.

    -juice
  • cberezincberezin Member Posts: 2
    After lurking for months, I finally went out and got a 2K Legacy GT wagon to replace the trusty 87 Sable Wagon. There seems to be a dearth of affordably priced midsized wagons. Luckily, I found 1 leftover with a CD and 5 speed. It's been a gem so far. I just want to thank everyone for their comments and enthusiasm about these cars. I hope my experience is as good as all of yours.

    Chip
  • dannykadannyka Member Posts: 115
    I'm sure you've all seen this at Edmunds, but just in case...

    http://www.edmunds.com/edweb/mahoney/aztek/01.pontiac.aztek.rt.html?id=nl

    -Dan
  • originalbitmanoriginalbitman Member Posts: 920
    Chip-

    Congratulations! As a 2K GT wagon owner myself I think you made the perfect choice. Especially since you got the 5 speed.


    Have fun!

    bit
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Chip: congrats. How 'bout a photo with your new ride to show off your pride and joy? Post it at photopoint.com or e-mail to me and I'll put it up for you.

    Dana: I'm heading to Brazil in a couple of weeks and come back on the 4th, so that night will be too hectic for me to host. I'll hop in on the next one, though.

    It's interesting, but Subarus are rare and seen as very upscale in Brazil. Friends ask "wow, you can afford a Subaru?" because a Forester costs $44 grand there. $48 grand for an Outback, and I don't mean the H6 either!

    OTOH, they have turbos, and their Forester has had a moonroof option from the beginning.

    -juice
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    I've been trying to call all day, and there is no answer, not even voice mail or anything. What's up with that?

    -mike
  • bat1161bat1161 Member Posts: 1,784
    Has anyone checked out My.Subaru.com yet? I saw the press release and went and signed up at the site. It is only for 2000 and 2001 right now. Pre-2000 will be accessible in early 2001 (according to the article). It is supposed to have all your service records, and any recall notices. When I signed on, it only had the date I purchased the car and that I have the Subaru Extended Warranty. Anyone else have the same results? The rest of it looks pretty good.
  • bat1161bat1161 Member Posts: 1,784
    My goof Mike. I did give the service number.

    Mark
  • armac13armac13 Member Posts: 1,129
    "Aztek's interior build quality was inoffensive." I love it. I saw my first one not in a dealers lot on Sunday. It was parked and I was sorely tempted to wait around to see who would buy such a thing, but restrained myself.

    Ross
  • vince14vince14 Member Posts: 55
    thanks Mike and Bat. I stopped by my dealer this am and the service manage said they would install the mirror if I signed a waiver and it would be $85-170 for install.
    Of course I walked,
    I'm toying with the idea of installing it myself.
    20 years ago, I wouldn't have hesitated, now I'm reluctant. Oh well, thanks for the info. SI is a wee bit out of my way.
    Vince14
  • bg18947bg18947 Member Posts: 184
    http://www.tamiya.com/english/products/impreza/impreza.htm

    At least it meets all U.S. emission standards!
  • snopeoplsnopeopl Member Posts: 9
    I was trying to call too. Finally, someone answered and said Darlene called in sick today and was expected back tomorrow.
  • originalbitmanoriginalbitman Member Posts: 920
    So I have had this groan that comes from the roof of my 00 GT wagon. It seems to come from an area just below the center post of the right side roof rail. I can hear it when I pull into my driveway or any time I slowly make a transition in pavement height. The noise is sort of subtle but noticeable... especially now in colder weather with the windows up.

    Today I took it into my dealer to let them hear it. The tech heard it right away and we then took a new wagon for a ride just too make sure it was something unusual.

    So here's the question. It is a 6 hour job to pull and reinstall the headliner. Even after pulling the headliner they have to find the problem... perhaps the roof rail post mount or the rear moonroof (my guess). Should I take the risk of having the headliner and associated trim removed for what is admittedly a subtle noise? I hate to create a new problem in the process.

    bit
  • originalbitmanoriginalbitman Member Posts: 920
    With Darlene seemingly dealing with a few problems (I hope she is back in her true form soon) I decided to give up trying to order replacement dash trim for the plastic wood on my GT wagon. I bit the bullet and ordered the pieces from my dealer today. Here's the list:

    Left Switch Panel # 66050AE18A $30.71
    Center HVAC Panel #66060AE26A $58.60
    Cup Holder #66150AE17A $44.67
    Shifter Surround # 92121AE02A $65.87

    TOTAL $199.85

    Yeah, I'm nuts but I hate the fake wood and can't wait to install the nice black pieces. I'm sure anyone wanting to wait for Darlene can get these pieces for a lot less. One of the problems with ording these parts from Darlene is describing what they are. Even with my dealer I had to get a brochure and point to the dash parts. So now you have the part numbers. Anyone interested in some nice wood trim for the dash of their 00 L or Brighton?

    I'll post pics when I do the swap

    bit
  • lucien2lucien2 Member Posts: 2,984
    not 1997
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